


All She Knew

by CatSamwise



Series: Lightning Over Dromund Kaas [6]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Betrayal, F/M, Military, Minor Character Death, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-10 10:17:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5581915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatSamwise/pseuds/CatSamwise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Stop! Please, please, please just stop… I’ll tell you everything…</p><p>“You want the Wrath. I don’t know the Wrath, but I know the Wrath’s weakness, and that weakness is Malavai Quinn.”</p><p>Original storyline. Part of <i>Lightning over Dromund Kaas</i> series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Giving the Order

**Author's Note:**

> Theoretically, this story could be read as a standalone, but it would make more sense as part of the Lightning over Dromund Kaas series. Then again, it’s pretty confusing even then…
> 
> Sorry. I’ll stop babbling and you just keep reading…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Uruni.
> 
> The events described in this chapter take place in the year 3638 BBY.

Lord Wrath stood at the head of the conference table. The Wrath surveyed his subordinates one by one, before speaking. There were six of them in the room, including the Wrath: The Wrath, a human female, two human males, a female Twi’lek and a monster.

“We are gathered here, in this particular way because the task before us is an unusual one. We have worked together as a unit for many, fruitful years. Each of you have been crucial and irreplaceable part of our operation. I am not ungrateful. But times are changing and I am in need of a new system and a different method.

“Jaesa,” the Wrath addressed the human female. “It is an omission on my part, and I hope you won’t hold it against me, now that I am to remedy it. I promote you to the rank of Sith Lord.”

The woman called Jaesa, apparently the Wrath’s apprentice, preened at her master. “About time, master.”

The Wrath ignored her. “I am sending you to Korriban. There you will select and train an apprentice of your own. Then you are to join the Sith high society on either Korriban or Drumond Kaas, whichever to your liking. Tell them you have killed your master. Find allies and enemies. You will be my ears.”

The newly appointed Lord Jaesa smiled a dark smile. “Of course, master.”

“Pierce,” the Wrath continued. The larger of the two males stood taller, listening intently to the Wrath’s commands. “I hereby promote you to the rank of Captain.”

The man identified as Pierce saluted the Wrath, then bowed deeply. “M’lord.”

The Wrath nodded. “You are going to Dromund Kaas. There, you are to establish a new military unit. I leave the selection and training of this unit in your hands and give you free range. You have one year to accomplish this task.”

This time Pierce didn’t bow, but grinned widely. “Understood, m’lord.”

“Broonmark,” the Wrath addressed the alien monster next. “You are to go to your species home-world, Alzoc III. There you are to portray the strength of the Empire. Hunt, kill and gain notoriety.”

“ _Blood will flow for Sith clan_ ,” the creature answered.

The Wrath nodded. “Stay in touch with Pierce. Once a group of likely candidates would be established, return to Drumand Kaas to assist Pierce with training.”

Broonmark howled his assent, and Pierce said, “Aye, m’lord.”

“What about me, Boss?” the twi’lek asked.

“You will accompany myself and Quinn,” the Wrath answered. “But I advise you to find a new alias. You have been using your old one for too long.”

The twi’lek nodded. “Sure thing, boss.”

“Where are you going, master?” Lord Jaesa asked.

“There is an artifact of invaluable knowledge that needs to be apprehended,” The Wrath replied. “But it will take time and effort. It is useless for all of you to wait in stasis until I obtain it.”

The reply seemed to quite any further questions.

The Wrath surveyed his subordinates one more time and spoke again. “I am promoting Quinn to the rank of Commodore.” 

The smaller of the two males didn’t move a muscle at the announcement. He stood at parade-rest to the right of the Lord Wrath, his gaze hard, as he surveyed the reactions of his companions. Captain Pierce and Lord Jaesa rolled their eyes, the twi’lek grinned and the monster did not react in any visible way.

The Wrath stood in silence for another moment, then said. “You all know your tasks. Dismissed.”

Within an hour the Wrath was speeding away into hyperspace accompanied only by the twi’lek and the newly appointed Commodore Quinn.

The twi’lek and the Wrath were lounging on the couches of the common area, while the Commodore piloted the ship to their destination.

“So, where are we going?” the twi’lek asked.

The Wrath hesitated a moment before answering. “I have been a little untruthful in what I said earlier. You will not be coming with Quinn and I.”

A look of confusion crossed the blue girl’s face. “What are you going to do with me?”

The Wrath laughed. “I’m not going to do anything. I just didn’t want anyone to know where you will be and what you will be doing.”

The twi’lek visibly relaxed. “You do have a job for me. Share!”

“Yes,” the Wrath said. “You are an accomplished slicer, a notorious pirate, a thief and a shrewd business woman.” 

The twi’lek blushed purple. “Oh stop! Do go on…”

“I need you to build me a spy network. Build one yourself, take over someone else’s, it doesn’t matter. I want you, and as a result me, to know everything that is happening in the Empire and in the Republic. You can recruit anyone you want, but you can’t tell them you are working for me. In fact, my existence and relation to you should never be discovered.”

The girl’s eyes were shining, her mouth was open in an O of surprise and delight.

“I will leave you a single comm link to contact me. But you will not use it even under the most dire of circumstances. If Pierce or Jaesa are dead – I don’t want to know. Use it only, and I mean only, if my real whereabouts are discovered.”

The twi’lek looked somber at the Wrath’s words. “I promise.”

“Good,” the Wrath nodded at his companion. 

At that moment Commodore Quinn entered the common area. He sat unprompted next to the Wrath. “We will reach Thila in 4 standard hours.”

The Wrath nodded. “Once we reach Thila, Quinn and I will depart to our own vessel. This ship I am leaving to you.”

“Finally!” the twi’lek exclaimed. “You remembered my birthday!”

The Wrath chuckled, and even the Commodore smiled.

“Have you thought of a new name?” the commodore asked.

“Oooh, yes!” the girl said excitedly. “What do you think about ‘Ali’? Always wanted to be ‘Ali’…”

The commodore frowned, and the Wrath looked at him expectedly.

“Not a very twi’lek name…” he said.

“What? Do you expect to call me ‘Ler'cecrec’ or some such nonsense?!” 

The commodore sighed and shook his head. “‘Ali’ it is, then…”

The twi’lek girl grinned and the Wrath laughed softly.

“Go get some rest,” the Wrath said to them both.

“Wait,” called Ali. “You never told me where you are really going.”

“Because I hope you will never find out,” the Wrath answered with a smile, rose and went to the helm of the ship.

~

“How do you know this?” the man in the dark robe growled at her. “You weren’t there.”

“No,” her voice was weak, from screaming, from crying, but if she told them the truth then they would stop. They said they would. “Some I found out, some I concluded on my own. But all of it is the truth.”

“Tell me more!” the man said and raised another tool from the table.

She sobbed, and tried to speak…


	2. Establishing a Perimeter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Uruni.
> 
> The events described in this chapter take place in the year 3637 BBY.

As instructed, Captain Pierce had established a small base of operation in the jungles west of Kaas City on the planet of Dromund Kaas. He had encountered initial resistance from Army Headquarters when securing the location and during the first stages of drafting, but it was nothing a little blackmail and bribery could not take care of. Captain Pierce didn’t even need to use the authorization letter supplied to him by the Lord Wrath.

The base itself was relatively small and the comings and goings of supplies and personnel were strictly monitored. Pierce had initially selected and trained about two dozen likely soldiers, all of whom were physically capable and single-mindedly determined to serve the Empire.

He hadn’t told them the purpose of their selection and training. In truth, he himself was not sure.

Once the initial structure and routine were established, the Captain had contacted Broonmark, so that the Talz know he had another task awaiting him.

Pierce had kept his ears open for news from off-world and knew of the unrest and mayhem that were happening on Alzoc III. He had no doubt that Broonmark had everything to do with it, the mere thought heartening him.

When the monster had finally arrived, a month after initial contact, he had caused another sort of chaos. Pierce had deliberately omitted the impending arrival of another instructor from his troops. So when an unnamed, unrecognizable _thing_ came at the front gate, he had watched in amusement as his soldiers attempted to stop, contain and capture the Talz.

Three soldiers were killed before Pierce decided to intervene and introduced Broonmark to the rest of the recruits. 

The exercise served its purpose. All the recruits had unwavering fear and respect for the off-world creature. And Pierce had another opportunity to drill the security measure protocol into their heads.

With this new addition, a new routine was established. Broonmark took over all of the hunting and hand-to-hand combat training and Pierce was in charge of almost everything else. The recruits benefited from both approaches and change of pace and methods. Pierce understood the wisdom of his lord’s instructions and strove to fulfil those instruction to the letter. 

It was a whole year before anyone saw or heard from the Lord Wrath.

~

One day a lone man appeared on the road leading to the recruits’ base. He was wearing Imperial Navy uniform, the rank of Commodore clearly visible on his lapel. He carried a blaster and a knife openly. He had dark hair, blue eyes and fair skin. 

The soldier on the gate, mindful of the security procedure, pressed a certain button near his position and yelled, “Halt! This is a restricted area!”

The man stopped, took up parade-rest and looked expectedly at the soldier. He did not say a single word.

The soldier at the gate was unnerved by this kind of action, but the protocol had been drilled into his head by the Captain himself, so he proceeded. “State your business!”

“I have a meeting with Captain Pierce,” the man said calmly.

The soldier at the gate knew better than to look away from the intruder. He waited calmly for the comm link in his ear to tell him if this was true or not. Though he assumed it was false, as he had memorized the arrivals and departures schedule for his shift. He knew there was nothing scheduled until late evening.

“Negative,” a voice buzzed in the soldier’s ear. “No appointments for today.”

Just as he thought. “You are given a single warning before I open fire!” he yelled at the man on the path.

The man only nodded. “Very good. You have passed the first test. Now show yourself.”

The soldier was about to pull the trigger of his rifle, when a heavy hand clapped him on the shoulder.

“At ease, private,” boomed Captain Pierce.

The soldier complied immediately and watched, a little bemused, as the Captain left the base perimeter to greet the strange man.

It took the huge Captain only a couple of strides to reach the man, and when he did he saluted and stood at attention. 

The man saluted back and said, “At ease, Captain.” Standing side by side the Captain was almost a head taller than the Commodore, and yet it was clear there was respect between the two men.

“Good t’see ya,” Captain Pierce said.

The Commodore smiled thinly. “A warm welcome? These are dire times indeed.”

The Captain laughed a great bark of a laugh. “Been a long time since I properly insulted anyone. These pussies don’t answer back.”

The Commodore nodded and started to walk towards the base. “I have come to inspect your progress.”

“You?” Pierce walked alongside him as they entered the base perimeter. “Why not –”

The Commodore point-turned and glared at the Captain to silence him. Pierce’s brows rushed to his hairline, but he shut his mouth and said nothing more. The Commodore nodded, his face returned to a neutral expression. “First, myself. Later there will be others.”

The Commodore did not say another word for the duration of his review of the base. The Captain was diligent in his explanations and presentation, he showed the other man every nook and crevice of the base, all the major and minor areas, and took pains to introduce all present recruits.

When he was done, they were standing in the Captain’s office, which overlooked the training field.

At last the Commodore spoke. “Are there any additional recruits off-base?”

“Aye,” the Captain said. “A group’s in the jungle with Broonmark on hunting training and an additional half-dozen on leave.”

“Recall them all,” the Commodore said. “They are to be present in their barracks by 1800.”

“Copy that.”

The Commodore nodded. “Notify your guards that a Sith Lord is to be expected around that time as well. I do not believe that Lord Jaesa would take lightly to being questioned.”

Pierce grinned. “I see.”

The Commodore stood in silence for a long moment regarding or evaluating his companion. At last he said, “You did well here. Better than I expected.”

The Captain’s grin widened. “Am still better than you, just needed time to prove it.”

The Commodore cracked a minute smile. “We shall see.”

~

At 1800 all soldiers recruited to Pierce’s training (who had not died in the course of the program itself) stood at attention in the common barracks. This was the largest hall in the base, aside from the exercise yard, the use of which was currently impractical due to the prevailing rain on the planet.

Captain Pierce and Broonmark stood at the head of the barracks, near the entrance and watched as the Commodore went around the troops and inspected them.

Suddenly the door banged open and a figure of a Sith entered the room, followed closely by the two remaining soldiers who were instructed to await and accompany the Sith. No guards remained on the gate, but it was clearly known that no attack would be placed on the base while the Sith was present.

The soaking soldiers hurried to take their place in the barracks, as the Commodore strode swiftly to greet the Sith.

“M’lord,” Pierce bowed low in front of the Sith, as he was closer. The Talz did the same.

The Sith removed her outer robe and revealed herself to be a young woman, wearing traditional Sith clothing with a plunging neckline and form hugging material. She had long dark hair and pale skin. She wore heavy red make-up and her eyes shone in an eerie yellow light. She threw her wet robe on the nearest cot.

“Beast, Pierce,” her voice was the purr of a manka cat, lulling into false safety. “To think you were so close all this time. You should visit the city more often.”

“Had a job to do,” the Captain replied with a grin.

The Sith shrugged dismissively. “You’re starting to sound like Quinn.”

“Never said I wouldn’t take you up on your offer.”

“If you are quite finished,” the Commodore said tersely. He had reached the head of the barracks and was standing in front of the small group. “Lord Jaesa, thank you for joining us.”

“Quinn,” the Sith turned her sultry gaze on him. “We haven’t seen each other in such a long time. Surely you have more to say to me.”

Pierce watched avidly for the Commodore’s reaction, but there appeared to be none. Quinn merely regarded Lord Jaesa calmly. “If you may proceed with the task appointed to you.”

“Call me ‘my lord’,” Jaesa murmured seductively.

This time the Commodore did react. His gaze turned hard and when he spoke his voice was ice-cold durasteel. “I have one lord, and it is not you.”

Broonmark started to laugh and Lord Jaesa shot him a deadly glare, but she turned away from Quinn and started to walk down the line of soldiers, stopping in front of each one. Pierce and Quinn followed a step behind.

On the fifth soldier she paused for longer. She closed her eyes and dark energy pulsed momentary around her. She opened her eyes and said, “This one was sent by Darth Marr.”

Before she finished speaking Commodore Quinn unholstered his blaster and shot the soldier in the head.

The soldier collapsed neatly on the floor. A deadly quiet descended on the barracks, the only sound was the howling of the wind, the rain outside and the occasional thunderclap. 

Lord Jaesa pouted. “If you only whished them dead, you should have said. I want to kill the next one!”

The group proceeded down the line of now trembling recruits. Three more of the remaining sixteen soldiers were found untrue to their operation and were dealt with swiftly.

At last they almost made the whole round of the troops, only two more soldiers remaining. These two stood tall and broad, they did not tremble as the others did, sure of their place and importance. 

Lord Jaesa stood in front of the first and paused for a long moment, then opened her eyes, said nothing and moved on. She stood in front of the last soldier and again paused in concentration. A frown appeared on her face. She opened her eyes but did not move away.

The soldier regarded her steadily, unafraid.

“This one’s my model soldier,” Pierce boomed from behind Jaesa. “There is nothing he can’t do, nothing he can’t learn and nothing he’s afraid off. A regular teacher’s pet. The troops think he’s getting favorable status. But I have a strange feeling in my gut. There’s something behind his eyes, I can’t put a finger on.”

The soldier’s eyes flickered from Jaesa to Pierce and for the first time his mask of confidence cracked. It was all Jaesa needed to seize his mind. Her exploration was different to the others and the man collapsed on his knees in front of her, clawing at his head in pain. 

Eventually she released him, but the soldier remained on his hands and knees at her feet. 

“He is not a spy,” Jaesa said. “But his motives are anything but altruistic. He wishes to gain the knowledge of this unit and then sell it to the highest bidder.”

Pierce nodded. He turned to the rest of his soldiers. “Look closely,” he said, and took out his blaster, shooting the kneeling soldier himself. “Know that there are no favorites, only loyalty.” 

The Commodore and Broonmark nodded while the Sith smirked. The soldiers in front of them did not dare to speak, but they exchanged frightened glances.

Commodore Quinn broke the silence first. “Thank you, Lord Jaesa, for your assistance.”

Lord Jaesa raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you daring to dismiss me?”

The Commodore ignored her, turning his back to her and looking at Pierce. “Captain, prepare the troops for early departure in the morning. The extent of your task will be explained by my lord personally.”

Pierce nodded, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Are ya taking over my men, Commodore?”

“Negative,” Quinn answered. “I have my own mission off-world.” 

Lord Jaesa, obviously being fed up at being ignored, turned in a huff, scooped up her outer robe and left the barracks. 

Commodore Quinn watched her go in silence then continued to speak, turning to the recruited soldiers. “Before you may meet your lord and master an additional precaution will be taken.” He waited a moment then continued. “Each of you shall carry our lord’s mark on your skin. This mark is a Sith rune that will hold power over your being. Among other uses, it will prevent you from betraying our lord under torture and speaking our lord’s secrets.”

“You’ve become paranoid,” Pierce remarked, as he, Quinn and Broonmark left the soldier’s barracks.

Quinn breathed out quietly, “You have no idea.”

The Captain laughed. “You want me to take on this brand as well?”

Quinn shook his head. “No. You are trusted,' he paused, 'for the time being.”

~

The man in the dark robe regarded her for a long moment. “These soldiers became the Wrath’s personal guard.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“What will happen if we take one captive?” the man asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

The man regarded her for a long moment. “Where was the Wrath during that year?”

“I don’t know.”

He back-handed her in the face. “What do you know?!”

“Please,” she cried. “Please…”


	3. Taking Positions – part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Uruni.
> 
> The events described in this chapter take place in the year 3636 BBY.

Lieutenant Aliani Risver sat primly in the small waiting area in the Imperial Navy headquarters in Kaas City. Her uniform was neatly pressed, her white-blond hair was kept strictly in a bun. She wore no makeup to enhance or change her features. She looked the part of a model Imperial soldier. She had been told that Commodore Quinn valued neatness and correctness and she was going to use any advantage she could if she hoped to get this position.

The Lieutenant was waiting for an interview with the famed Commodore himself, for a chance to gain the role of his personal secretary.

The Commodore’s name was renowned in the navy. He was responsible for numerous Imperial victories against the Republic. He was known to command his forces in a strict but just manner. He did not have tantrums or use his subordinates for personal gain or inappropriate endeavor. Since he had taken over the command of the C-class _Dominance_ , the transfer request rate to join that vessel had increased by approximately 300%. 

On the other hand, it seemed the Commodore was less able in keeping assistants. Aliani knew that this post was being made available for the third time in the span of the past two years. Rather a high rate for such a highly prestigious position.

No matter the reasons, Aliani had every intent of gaining the place and keeping it. 

“Lieutenant Risver, please proceed inside,” a mechanical voice informed her.

She rose and entered the office. After a few steps inside she stopped at attention and saluted.

Commodore Quinn was sitting behind his desk, which was immaculately organized, not a datapad out of place, his hands laced in front of him. He looked to be in his late thirties to early forties, had black hair and deep, piercing blue eyes. He was studying her intently as she stood.

Eventually he said, “At ease, Lieutenant,” but did not invite her to sit.

Aliani shifted to parade-rest and waited for the Commodore to speak.

There were several minutes of silence before the Commodore finally spoke. “I have reviewed your application file, as well as spoken with some of the people you listed for recommendation. All of them spoke highly of your abilities and performance.” His voice was sharp and collected, unbending and precise, like the man himself.

Aliani nodded once.

“Unfortunately, as you may be aware, I have had some problems with the previous occupants of this post and have become somewhat pickier. Tell me, Lieutenant, why should I choose you?”

“Sir!” Aliani shifted back to attention to answer. “I was the secretary of Admiral Sillath and Major Netsha before applying to for this opening. I have served both in bureaucratic and operational spheres. I am fully qualified to assist and support active fighting duties as well as field coordination and support tasks.

“In preparation for this post I have reviewed the battle overviews and reports of the Dominance’s latest operations and am fully confidant in my ability to withstand the battle pressure and requirements of situations that have been encountered thus far.”

Throughout her speech, the Commodore’s facial expression did not change or flicker. Aliani could not know if her preparations impressed him or not.

The Commodore nodded, when she was done. He retrieved one of the datapads on his desk and scrolled through its content. “You have said nothing that does not appear in your application. Although your confidence in your abilities is promising.” He put down the datapad in front of him and laced his fingers, placing his hands back on the desk again. He regarded her for a moment, then said, “I will be honest with you, in hope that you shall be honest with me. And on this I shall judge you.”

Aliani nodded tightly. She shifted back to parade-rest to listen intently.

“My previous two secretaries were both discharged from my service for the same transgression. Both had attempted to improve their position through _personal_ favor.”

Aliani’s eyes widened slightly. She wasn’t sure she understood him correctly, the implication was very grave. “They offered personal favors to you, sir?”

The Commodore’s expression did not change, nor did his voice waver from its steel tones as he said, “Indeed.”

Aliani’s mind was reeling from the information provided to her. It was nothing she had prepared for, but clearly something she could not fail in. She had split seconds to understand what this information meant and come up with an answer _fast_. The Commodore was studying her intently.

He was a handsome man, yes, but it made no sense for two consecutive women to suddenly throw themselves at him. Was it possible he had specifically chosen them for that purpose? It seemed unlikely, after all why would he then discharge them so swiftly afterwards? And why tell her about it during her interview?

In addition, this rank-defiant behavior was against everything this man was supposed to value – discipline and order. Clearly, he was now looking for someone that would not behave in a similar manner.

But how could she assure him that she was that person?

“Permission to speak freely, sir.”

Commodore Quinn nodded. “Granted.”

Aliani took a deep breath and spoke, “I want to start with the admission that I can give you no solid reassurance that I will not be party to such behavior, apart from my word and promise.” The Commodore gave a slight nod. “I will say this, in all my ten years of dedicated service to the Empire and its cause, as well as my time in the Imperial Academy, I have never been associated with such behavior. My achievements are my own and what approval and reputation I have gained was through hard work and not because of cutting corners, so to speak. It is my hope to be a valuable asset and help, not entertainment.”

The Commodore’s lips twitched slightly, as if he was suppressing a smile. “Very well.” He entered some information into the datapad. “Dismissed, Lieutenant. You will receive an answer by the end of the week.”

Aliani saluted and turned to leave. 

As she pressed the door lock to open, the Commodore called her back. “Lieutenant, have you ever worked with Sith?”

She turned to look at the man behind the desk with a slight frown. “When I was stationed on Belsavis my commander had the honor of assisting a Sith Lord in their operation, but I never dealt with them directly, sir.”

Commodore Quinn nodded absently. “Thank you, you may leave.”

~

Aliani was greeted warmly upon her arrival to the _Dominance_. There was even a Corporal who had been assigned to meet and escort her around the ship.

Corporal Colmik Hoobea was a communication assistant. He was slim, had brown skin, brown eyes and brown hair, he was lively and chatty, quick with a joke and seemed to know everyone on the 500-person ship. Aliani found herself smiling at his antics more often than not, although she was unsure how her new superior officer would take to such behavior. 

They ended her tour at the crew barracks. Corporal Hoobea indicated that she had the privilege of using the high-officer barracks, as the Commodore’s personal assistant, whereas all the other crew used the communal barracks in the lower decks. 

He parted with a hearty “Welcome onboard” and told her that there was scheduled to be a bridge briefing at 1100.

Aliani familiarized herself with her room and hurried to the ship’s bridge. Thanking silently her foresight in memorizing the ship’s schematics prior to arrival.

When she reported to the bridge, there were already several officers present, as well as Commodore Quinn himself. The Commodore nodded to her briefly and motioned to her to stand by his side. 

When the briefing started the Commodore introduced her shortly and immediately proceeded with the overview of their upcoming mission. 

Serving under the Commodore was turning out to be as career-wise as she expected. He had an exceptional mind for strategy and almost encyclopedic knowledge of all military aspects, but her job was also grueling and hard and demanding. The Commodore required much from his subordinates, but Aliani saw firsthand that he demanded nearly twice as much from himself.

She was proud that as time wore on he started to trust her with more tasks and even began to rely on her in certain matters. It was gratifying to see some of the responsibilities he had horded to himself, through lack of appropriate help no doubt, finally being entrusted to her.

The post was not without challenges. There appeared to be some bad blood between the Commodore and his own commanding officer, Admiral Skimor, as the latter kept harassing Commodore Quinn throughout their campaigns. The Admiral would call personally to transmit the most trivial of orders and would grill both the Commodore and herself (if the Commodore had been fed up with answering the Admiral’s calls) about their specific operation and battle status.

The Commodore was not innocent in the story either. Aliani watched in amazement as Commodore Quinn directed orders and commands in complete disregard of the Admiral’s wishes. It was strange how he expected complete obedience from his subordinates but did not show the same respect to his own commander. 

Admiral Skimor always discovered the Commodore’s insubordination and he would call fuming, almost spitting with rage. Commodore Quinn would watch coolly as the Admiral ranted at him, and when the later stopped to regain his breath, would say something along the lines of ‘A higher order was received’ to which the Admiral would never make a reply. 

Aliani found it strange, as she herself was not aware of any additional communications to the ship. She also feared for the Commodore’s position. More than once she thought that the Admiral would court-martial Commodore Quinn for his actions, but it never happened.

Despite everything, she and the Commodore made an efficient team, and she was pleased to see him relax in her presence. She thought she was getting to know him, his habits, his requirements and needs, and through those the drive that made the man tick. She thought she had him figured out and this post in her pocket.

~

“I do not care about your insignificant life!” the man said harshly.

Aliani sobbed. “No, but you want to know how the Commodore thinks.”


	4. Taking Positions – part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Uruni.
> 
> The events described in this chapter take place in the year 3635 BBY.

They were leaving Dromund Kaas for an operation in the Atravis sector when Aliani noticed something strange. Instead of moving to hyper-space, after reaching a safe distance from the nearby planet, the _Dominance_ continued to cruise in regular speed.

Aliani went over to the navigation crew and asked whether a malfunction had occurred. She was answered in the negative. The station’s runner told her that it was the Commodore’s orders to maintain this speed until the end of the Dromund system. The runner winked at Aliani and resumed her work, leaving the Lieutenant more than a little confused.

Having no other choice, she went directly to the Commodore to ask the meaning of this delay.

Commodore Quinn didn’t even lift his head when she entered his office. She knew he was busy with operation briefings, preparations and reports and would not have disturbed him had they not been ordered to make haste to reach their destination.

“What is it, Lieutenant?” he asked.

“Regarding our speed, sir,” Aliani answered promptly. “Corporal Crobet informed me you ordered to remain below light speed until we clear the system. I wanted to confirm this order.”

The Commodore lifted his head to look at her. “Order confirmed,” he said simply, but his facial expression was not like any Aliani had seen before, it was almost as if he was smiling.

“I see, sir.” Having nothing more to say, as her commander was not forthcoming with information, Aliani decided to retreat for the time being. “I’ll just return to my duties then.”

The commodore nodded once, but before she had a chance to leave he said, “We are expecting a small vessel to join us on the way to Mustafar system. The ground crew is aware of the procedure. Dismissed.”

And indeed, as the Commodore said, the following day a small Fury class ship made level with the Dominance and received docking permission within seconds. Aliani was very curious regarding the occupant of said vessel, especially when the Commodore went to greet the new arrival in person.

She didn’t have long to wait. The doors to the bridge opened a few moments after the ship was safely docked and in entered a striking Sith, followed closely by the Commodore himself and three guards. The Sith was covered from head to toe in black battle armor, even his face was covered by a black mask. This attire made a prominent figure in a room of Imperial uniforms.

All the crew of the bridge as well as Aliani bowed low at the Sith’s entrance, but the Sith paid them no heed. He reached the command post of the bridge and said in a mechanically obscure voice to engage light-speed. 

The _Dominance_ ’s engines hummed into action as the order was executed immediately. 

The Sith then took the time to go over every function on the bridge and appraise the status and efficiency level of the crew. Commodore Quinn followed the Sith at a surprisingly less than respectful distance. He was almost brushing the Sith’s shoulder where he stood and was offering comments and explanations without direct prompting from the Sith. It was dangerous behavior, but for some reason it was tolerated.

The inspection of the bridge went on for almost two hours, as the Sith was very thorough in his examination. Yet he was not capricious; there had been only two executions, and those were of soldiers who had failed in their duties and had been reprimanded previously.

Eventually the review was finished and the Sith came to stand at the command center of the bridge once more. At this point, Commodore Quinn beckoned Aliani to step forward. 

Trying hard to conceal her trembling, Aliani complied.

The Sith’s undivided attention turned suddenly on Aliani and she felt the temperature around her drop. She bowed as best as she could, but was powerless to control the swell of fear that rose at the presence of the Sith.

“This is my secretary, Lieutenant Risver,” Commodore Quinn spoke.

If possible, the Sith’s study of her intensified. Aliani felt as if the Sith was sorting through her insides, trying to see if she was to his liking.

At last the Sith’s attention turned to the commodore. “You spoke highly of her efficiency.”

“Yes, my lord. It is my hope to continue using her service.”

The Sith chuckled, it was not a reassuring sound. “That is completely up to her.”

Aliani didn’t mind being spoken of in the third person, as if she was not there, as long as the Sith’s attention was diverted elsewhere. 

Apparently losing interest in Aliani, the Sith commanded to have sleeping arrangements be made for his troops and that he would like to overview the Mustafar operation come morning. Then he turned and left the bridge with Commodore Quinn in tow.

Once the door closed behind them, Aliani collapsed on a nearby chair. 

Someone patted her shoulder. She looked sideways to find Corporal Colmik smiling at her. “You did well. The previous girl in your place almost wet herself when she saw the Lord Wrath for the first time.”

Aliani’s eyes became as wide as saucers. “That was the Lord Wrath?!”

Colmik sniggered at her. “You didn’t know? The Lord Wrath drops by from time to time.” He lowered his voice for the next part. “They say old Quinny serves the Wrath first, the Empire second.”

Aliani shook her head at his words. She was not one to listen to rumors. “Enough Colmik! Get back to your post, before Commodore Quinn comes back.”

“Oh, he won’t come back,” the corporal shot at her, grinning but returned to his post nonetheless. 

Aliani gathered her wits and stood from her chair. A thought about the Lord Wrath’s orders was nagging her and she wanted to clarify it. She went to Ensign Dasor, of the facility division.

“How are the arrangements for the Lord Wrath’s troops going?” she asked. 

The Ensign nodded at her. “All in place, ma’am. We have a standing procedure for the Lord’s troops.”

“Good,” Aliani said. “What about the Lord Wrath himself?”

Ensign Dasor gave her a lopsided smile. It appeared to Aliani everyone knew something that she did not, and she didn’t like it. “The Lord Wrath takes up Commodore Quinn’s quarters for the duration of his stay.”

Aliani frowned. “And where is the Commodore being re-located?”

The Ensign’s smile grew into a full grin. “Nowhere, ma’am.”

Aliani blinked several times at the implication. “Are you telling me that…?” she couldn’t form the words to finish the sentence.

Dasor nodded at her. “The Lord Wrath likes to _share_ quarters with the Commodore.”

~

The trip to Mustafar took three standard days during which the Lord Wrath went over their operation in the most miniscule detail imaginable. 

Aliani could see where Commodore Quinn’s diligent attention to detail was originated. She also fully understood who was giving the Commodore orders that contradicted those of Admiral Skimor and why the former was never reprimanded.

Once in the Mustafar system, the Lord Wrath left the _Dominance_ and they were left to complete their operation. It was lengthy and complicated, and took several months to accomplish, but it was a great success, no doubt due to the Lord Wrath’s additional orders and changes to the operation plans. 

They returned to Dromund Kaas without any incidents and the _Dominance_ was immediately taken off for scheduled maintenance and repairs. The crew was given some much needed shore leave, but Commodore Quinn informed Aliani that he was going to take up temporary offices in the Imperial Navy headquarters and once he did, he would require her assistance.

It surprised Aliani little that her superior officer was not planning to use their time off as an actual vacation and resigned herself to spending her days in that grey and solemn building.

About a week after arriving to Kaas City, Aliani received a transmission from the Commodore that he was unsuccessful in obtaining the necessary offices in the headquarters’ building and that he would have no choice but to work from his private residence. He enclosed the coordinates and expected Aliani to join him as planned, despite the change.

When Aliani inputted the coordinates to her personal map she was astound to discover that the Commodore’s place of residence was in one of the most upscale buildings in central Kaas City. She hadn’t known that non-Sith were even allowed to live there. 

Having personal connections to the Lord Wrath probably helped, her mind supplied sardonically.

She arrived promptly the next morning and was escorted silently by two guards to the lifts. She took noticed of the amount of security to the premises; some of the guards were Sith! The people who resided there expected trouble but also that any trouble would be dealt with promptly.

Aliani wondered why the Commodore bothered trying to obtain an office at the headquarters. It was obvious he would have more peace and quiet in his own residence than in the Navy’s busy building. 

She reached the designated floor and was greeted by a service droid. It escorted her swiftly and silently to Commodore Quinn’s office, but she had time enough to admire the apartment.

It was obvious that each floor in this building was an individual apartment, but though Aliani expected the décor to be spartan, like that Commodore’s office on the _Dominance_ , she was in fact led through a richly and warmly furnished hallway. There was a soft carpet to silence her steps, there were paintings and tapestries hung from the walls, and fixtures delivering warm light hanging from the ceiling. The hallway had several doors leading off it, but they were all closed and the Lieutenant did not dare stop and peek into any of them, both for fear of losing the droid and also of her commander’s reaction.

The droid stopped in front of one of the doors, opened it, bowed to her and left. Aliani stepped inside and found herself in a medium sized room that was more a library than an office. Most of the walls were covered with shelves of datacrons, datapads and scrolls. There were two plush armchairs and a side table near the room’s entrance. On one side of the room hung a huge woven map of Dromund Kaas, on the other side, opposite the map hung a stuffed head of a huge beast, caught in mid-roar. Aliani couldn’t place the animal, but she nevertheless couldn’t take her eyes off it.

A cough brought her out of her reverie and she immediately straightened to attention. “Sir!”

Commodore Quinn was sitting behind a big heavy set desk, further inside the room. Unsurprisingly, he was wearing his uniform, despite being in his own house. The desk was arranged neatly with stacks of datapads and a console at easy reach. A smaller desk was arranged perpendicularly to the larger one. 

“Lieutenant,” the Commodore said as way of greeting and indicated the smaller desk. Aliani went to the place allocated to her and they immediately set to work.

They had been working for several hours when the door to the room opened. Aliani hoped it was the service droid again, bringing some refreshment, but instead of the droid a woman entered. She looked young, younger than the Commodore but perhaps older than Aliani’s thirty years. She had auburn, curly hair which was loosely tied away, brown eyes which were crinkled in an easygoing smile and dark skin. She was heavily pregnant and was carrying a tray with a jug of juice, some cups and a bowl of something Aliani couldn’t see.

The moment she entered, the Commodore almost jumped from his chair and rushed to relieve the woman of her burden. 

“You should let the droid do this,” the Commodore reprimanded the woman softly, as he took the tray from her hands and carried it to his desk himself. 

His voice was different from the tones Aliani was used to hearing, somehow less cold and commanding, more relaxed and affectionate. She had no idea who this woman could possibly be, and didn’t dare to openly stare at her and the Commodore.

“So that I would not see you all day?” the woman’s voice was clear and strong like a perfectly tuned bell. “Besides, I wanted to see for myself who this illustrious Lieutenant Risver is.”

At the mention of her name, Aliani lifted her eyes. She also blushed slightly at the way she had been called, not knowing how she managed to obtain such a title.

The sight that greeted her made her eyes widen, but she remembered at the last moment to control her face, least her jaw dropped open. Commodore Quinn and the woman were standing beside the huge desk, the Commodore had one hand on her swollen belly and it appeared he was rubbing it absentmindedly. The woman was leaning with her hands against the Commodore’s chest and she rose on tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. 

Aliani’s mind was racing. On the one hand, she had never in a million years imagined the Commodore to show any part of his private life to anyone, not to mention actually having one. On the other hand, she thought of the Lord Wrath, and the way all of the crew knew of their apparently illicit behavior. 

Commodore Quinn sighed, shook his head at the woman and half turned to Aliani. “Lieutenant Risver, this is my wife.”

The meeting was turning out to be one surprise after the next. Aliani rose from her seat and saluted. “Happy to make the acquaintance, ma’am,” she said.

Madam Quinn smiled in amusement. “Likewise, Lieutenant. I don’t know how much my dear husband tells you this, but your work is greatly appreciated.”

Aliani felt her cheeks flare up again, as Commodore Quinn tutted at his wife for the breach in protocol. She, in turn, only huffed at him.

~

Aliani was no longer crying. Her eyes were unfocussed as she stared unseeing at the wall.

The man stood in front of her, waiting for her to continue, but she remained silent. 

“The wife can be exploited against the husband,” he said.

This made Aliani turned to him again. “No,” she said simply.

“Is that so?” She couldn’t see his face, but she could guess he was smirking.

“I watched for years as the Commodore led his double life. Lover to the Lord Wrath on the _Dominance_ ; dutiful husband in Kaas City. I kept silent for a long time.” Aliani paused and turned her head back to the wall. “Eventually, I couldn’t anymore. Madam Quinn was the sweetest, kindest person I ever met. She didn’t deserve how he treated her. So I told her. I told her everything.”

“Stupid girl,” the man said under his breath.

Aliani laughed, a hollow, bitter laugh. “Madam Quinn said: ‘I know.’ 

“She said: ‘Technically Malavai is cheating on the Lord Wrath with me.’ She had a far-off look in her eyes and a smile that was private and was not meant for me. She said: ‘We share with the Lord Wrath. We share our home, our love, our life. It is difficult for people to understand, and so we don’t tell them.’”

The man regarded her silently. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Madam Quinn said one more thing,” Aliani answered quietly. “She said that if the Commodore had to choose between her and the Lord Wrath, she had no doubt who his choice would be.” Tears started to tickle down Aliani’s face again. She had thought she had no more tears in her, but apparently she was wrong. “Her words hunt me every day. 

“Every day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regarding the head that the Quinns have hanging from the wall, it’s either a Savrip or a Shaclaw. I haven’t decided :D


	5. Going for the Kill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Uruni.
> 
> The events described in this chapter take place in the year **3625 BBY**.

The _Dominance_ was on its way for another operation in the Middle Rim. Aliani was sitting across from Commodore Quinn at the conference table in his office. They were sorting through the battle plans and supply chains needed for the upcoming operation when a persistent beeping went off in the Commodore’s desk.

Commodore Quinn rose from his place, walked over to the desk, opened one of the drawers and took out a datapad. Aliani continued with her work, but kept one eye on her superior officer, in case she was needed. 

The Commodore did not address her as he read the incoming message, but Aliani could see him pale visibly. Whatever the message was it did not appear to be good.

Commodore Quinn pressed a relay on the console on his desk. “Captain Pelfou, pull out of hyper-drive immediately, locate nearest uninhabited star system and place us in orbit,” he said shortly.

Aliani glanced up from her work, a questioning look in her eyes.

The Commodore was typing hurriedly into his datapad. “We are in suspended operation,” he told her when he was done. He looked up at her and Aliani was taken aback by the wild look in his eyes. “There has been an attack on the Lord Wrath.”

~

They had come to a stop near the Lannik Space sector, but far enough not to alert any pirates in the area. The ship had been put on high alert and there was a communication blackout, even from Imperial Command. It was clear to everyone the Commodore had been alerted about _something_ , although only Aliani was privy to what.

They didn’t have long to wait. Once their location had been set, the Lord Wrath’s vessel arrived within no more than a standard day. Only this time, there was no preparations or the usual fanfare. The Commodore rushed to the landing pad of the Fury, from which the Wrath’s guards lowered a stretcher. The Commodore took over the stretcher personally and promptly escorted the Lord Wrath to the _Dominance_ ’s medical unit. 

Aliani had expected the Commodore to let their doctors tend to the Sith but was amazed to see him banish everyone from the room and close the door on the Lord Wrath and himself.

She stood dumbfounded in the hallway with the head physician. Both looked in amazement on the closed door to the medical facility. 

“Only trained medical personnel may operate the facility,” complained Doctor Rolsav at her.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Aliani answered quietly. “The rules for the Lord Wrath are different. We’ll just have to wait until the Commodore comes out to get answers.”

They had to wait for more than six hours before the door to the medical facility opened and Commodore Quinn stepped out.

Aliani had never seen him the way he appeared then. He had discarded his uniform jacket, the sleeves of his shirt had been rolled up, his greying hair was tussled like he had been running his fingers through and pulling at it, he had blood spatters all over his clothes, and his eyes looked wild. He was holding his blaster in his hands.

Aliani, Doctor Rolsav and two of the Lord Wrath’s personal guards which were standing guard the whole time all took a step away from the Commodore.

“Sir!” Aliani tried to speak. The first thought through her mind was that Commodore Quinn was about to kill himself over the Wrath. 

Before she could say or do anything, Commodore Quinn fired two shots at each of the Lord Wrath’s guards, killing them instantly.

Aliani froze in her spot. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Doctor Rolsav take another step back and press himself against a wall. Was the Commodore going to kill them all because of the Wrath?

Commodore Quinn did none of this. He replaced the blaster in its holster and turned to Aliani. “Give me your datapad,” he commanded.

With trembling hands, Aliani complied.

The Commodore typed hastily then gave it back to her. “Go to navigations, tell them to move three parsecs west of our current location. Then contact the holo-frequency I indicated. Speak with the Captain and tell her to get herself to our location within 12 standard hours. Once she’s here, escort her to me immediately.”

Aliani nodded dumbly at her orders. She had no idea what was going on, but she was not about to question the Commodore considering his current state. 

The Commodore was about to turn back to the medical center when Doctor Rolsav made a noise at the back of his throat. Commodore Quinn looked at him, then something akin to his usual expression returned to his face. “Lieutenant, bring the third datapad in my personnel file. It should contain all the credential information that Doctor Rolsav requires.”

With these words Commodore Quinn turned and returned to the medical unit, leaving Aliani and the Doctor alone in the hallway, save for the two cooling corpses.

~

Aliani performed all of the orders detailed to her by Commodore Quinn. She even had sanitation take care of the two dead bodies in front of the medical facility. The only thing left was to make the call to the mysterious Captain.

She stood in front of the holo-communicator in the Commodore’s office and placed the call. 

After a moment or two the image of a red Devaronian male appeared before of her. “Imperial, what a surprise,” he said to her in a slow drawl, half-a smile on his face. “What can I do for you?”

Aliani tried not to flinch. She was starting to have a suspicion that Commodore Quinn had given her the wrong frequency. “Are you the Captain of this ship?” she asked coolly.

“Gracious, no!” the Devaronian laughed. “The Captain is _indisposed_ currently. Should I relay a message?”

Aliani hated dealing with aliens and didn’t care one bit for the tone this one was taking with her. “It is imperative I speak with your Captain immediately,” she answered haughtily. 

A voice called out away from the holo-image, “Gault, who is it?”

The Devaronian turned away from the holo-camera. “Some imperial asking for the Captain,” he yelled back. “It’s on a purple channel. Since when do we have a purple channel?”

Aliani fought hard not to turn her face in disgust at the tone of operation on this so-called ship. She heard some off-camera swearing and something crashing to the floor, then a blue female Twi'lek appeared in the projection. The Twi’lek had obviously been in the refresher, as she had only a towel wrapped around her, but when she saw Aliani her eyes narrowed. 

“Where’s Quinn?” she demanded. 

“ _Commodore_ Quinn is currently unavailable,” Aliani answered coldly. One alien was no better than another, but at least this one appeared to know something.

“Shit,” the Twi'lek said and looked around at her console. “Is this line secure?” She turned away from the holo-camera and yelled, “Mako! Get this line secure!” She turned back to Aliani. “Listen, lady who-ever-you-are, get your end secure, then we’ll talk.” With these words the Twi'lek put her on hold.

Aliani stared at the projector for several moments. The gall of that alien! Who did it think it is, ordering her around like that?! Although there was some merit in the suggestion to secure the channel. 

Aliani called communications and a scramble was placed onto her unit. The moment the scramble was up, the call connected once more.

This time, the Twi'lek was dressed in what appeared to be heavily modified armor. The armor had some-sort of markings on it, reminding Aliani of Mandalorian clans. She dismissed the thought, no self-respecting Mandalorian clan would take up a scrawny Twi'lek.

“Right, lady,” the Twi'lek spoke first. “I see Quinn hasn’t showed yet, which doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Are you the Captain of this vessel?” Aliani demanded. She had no time for the Twi’lek’s chit-chat. 

The Twi’lek tilted her head, “Yup.”

“Commodore Quinn instructed me to inform you that your presence is required at our location. Transferring coordinates now.”

“Coordinates received,” the Twi'lek answered. She regarded Aliani for a moment then said, “He’s with High-and-Mighty, isn’t he?”

“If you mean –” Aliani started to answer but the Twi'lek made sharp motion with her hand to cut her off. 

“Yes,” Aliani finished perplexed.

“Damn,” the Twi'lek swore. “Drat and Wookiee-shit. I’m on my way.”

“The Commodore said –”Aliani tried to add, but was cut off.

“I know what mister world-up-his-bum said. I’m on my way.”

And with that the call was ended.

~

Not 10 standard hours later a sleek D5-Mantis appeared out of hyperspace and demanded boarding from the _Dominance_. Aliani had no choice but to instruct permission to board and went to greet their so-called guests herself.

The same Twi'lek as before descended from the small ship’s plank followed closely by a young human man. The Twi'lek was as blue in person as she was over holo. The human had short blond hair and blue eyes, he also had distinct scaring on both his cheeks. Both of them were dressed in heavy armor and were openly carrying blasters. Both armor sets had the same Mandalorian markings Aliani saw during the holo-call. 

Once on board, the ship’s plank rose to close the opening. 

“My crew will remain on my ship, unless I personally say otherwise,” the Twi'lek said to Aliani as a way of greeting. "Lead me to Quinn.”

Aliani bristled at being bossed around on her own ship. “Your weapons,” she said in a clipped tone. “Please deposit them with this officer.” She indicated to one of the attendance.

“Like hell!” the blue Twi'lek spat, as her companion laughed in Aliani’s face. “Not gonna happen, girly. You can take it up with Commander Protocol, but I have a feeling he won’t be happy that you’re delaying me here. Now, get going already.”

Aliani had no choice. She knew that what this mercenary said would be true. Commodore Quinn would be displeased with the delay. Pursing her lips she turned and started walking toward one of the elevators. The mercenaries followed her in silence.

Once their small party reached the doors to the medical unit, Aliani rapped smartly on the door. 

Within a moment it was opened by the Commodore. He looked much the same as he had the previous time Aliani had seen him, only even more tired and tussled. His eyes narrowed when he saw Aliani and he opened his mouth to say something when the Twi'lek swore loudly. This made Commodore Quinn to look further into the hallway.

In the meantime, the Twi'lek pushed Aliani out of the way and started bodily pushing the Commodore back inside the medical unit. “Bloody kriffing heck,” she was saying.

The Twi'lek’s human companion was about to follow her into the room when she turned and stopped him. She shook her head and said, “Guard the door.”

It took about half an hour before the door opened again. During that time the human mercenary leaned on the wall near the medical center’s door, surveying the hall with hooded eyes. Aliani stood near the opposite wall monitoring the door and the mercenary in equal measures. Neither said a word.

When the door finally opened, it revealed Commodore Quinn being ushered out of the medical center by the very insistent Twi'lek. 

“I know what I’m doing!” the blue female was saying.

“Listen,” Commodore Quinn answered running his hand through his hopelessly disheveled hair.

“No, you listen!” the Twi'lek interrupted. “I watched you during procedures for _years_ , and I’ve picked up a trick or two of my own. I’ll be fine. Go get some sleep, call home, review Imperial protocol, or whatever you do to relax. I’ll. Be. Fine.”

Commodore Quinn shook his head. “Ali…”

“I don’t want to hear it,” she cut him off again. “Besides, if the lordship finds out you collapsed from exhaustion then my hide is toast.”

The commodore’s shoulder’s sagged a little, apparently even he couldn’t withstand the Twi'lek's onslaught. “Six hours, then I’m back.”

“Fine, fine,” the mercenary waved him off. “And I promise to comm you if anything happens.”

Commodore Quinn nodded and turned. His eyes narrowed when he spotted the second mercenary.

“He’s with me,” the Twi'lek declared before anything was said.

The Commodore nodded again, squared his shoulders and started to walk away from the medical center. Aliani quickly fell into step with him.

“Sir,” she began.

“Not now, Lieutenant,” the commander continued walking, not even looking at her.

“But, sir!” She tried again.

“I said not now,” he raised his voice, almost shouting. 

Aliani stopped in her tracks. Commander Quinn never raised his voice, never shouted, was polite at all times. She was shocked at his behavior. 

The Commander didn’t pay her any heed and continued down the hallway, leaving Aliani behind. Soon he disappeared from her sight.

~

Without orders how to proceed, Aliani instructed the crew to wind down and prepare to wait for further instructions. She tried to get some rest herself, but she tossed and turned in her bunk for what seemed like hours before deciding she was too restless to sleep. 

She rose from her bed and decided to review their mission operatives for their aborted assignment. It was dull work and she hoped it would put her mind in the required mode to finally sleep. But when she neared her office she saw light streaming from the Commodore’s door. She crept closer to see what was going on.

Commodore Quinn was standing in front of the conference table looking at a projection of a female Sith. He was wearing full uniform and looked as pristine as always. He was glaring at the Sith. She, in turn, had crossed her arms and was smirking at the Commodore.

“What is the meaning of this?” Commodore Quinn was saying. 

“Surprise!” The Sith’s tone was light but somehow full of hostility as well. It appeared that Aliani caught their holo-call at the beginning.

“Where are the girls?” the Commodore demanded.

“Oh, your precious girls,” the Sith smiled bearing her teeth. “They’re right here. Do you want to see for yourself?”

“Jaesa, stop this nonsense,” the Commodore ordered.

The Sith stopped smiling. “You will address me as befits my statue, Imperial!” She all but snarled.

“You are a spoilt child, stomping her foot and demanding treats,” Commodore Quinn answered her just as strongly.

Jaesa grew livid. Even through the holo-connection Aliani could see little lightning bolts flashing around her. Aliani found herself rooted to the spot, terrified and fascinated.

“I will kill your daughters right now before your very eyes,” the Sith said quietly, dangerously. “Then I shall kill your wife. I will save you for last – I will tear your heart out and I will eat it as I watch you die.”

Aliani felt sick, but the Commodore didn’t waver. His eyes narrowed dangerously. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Jaesa threw her head back and laughed. It was not a happy sound. “Just watch.”

The image of the Sith disappeared quickly to be replace by a small child. The girl appeared to be around ten years old. “Hello, Daddy!” she said cheerfully.

Commodore Quinn’s cool composure almost disappeared. He lurched forward, clutching the back of the chair between him and the table to keep himself upright. “Melia!”

The girl’s smile didn’t waver. “Daddy, Momma went out to get groceries and we are playing with our new friend. I’m so happy you called.”

The Commodore looked intensely at the image of the girl. His expression started to change, his composure returning. “How long have you been playing with your friend, Jaesa?” he asked, his tone almost careful.

Melia shrugged. “Not very long. Momma only left half an hour ago. Can we please play a little longer with her? Please, Daddy? Please, please?”

Commodore Quinn slowly let go of the chair and stood straight in front of the holo-projector again. “What does your sister say?”

The child nodded enthusiastically. “She says she wants to play as well.”

The Commodore sighed and looked intently at his daughter. “Alright. And what would be given in return?”

Now Melia looked at her father eagerly. “My name.”

Commodore Quinn pursed his lips. “I shall discuss the matter with your Mother. But I don’t see a reason why not.”

The girl almost bounced in her place. “Thank you, Daddy!” 

Her father nodded at her. “Be good,” he said. “Now, please let me speak with Jaesa.”

Melia stepped away from the holo-projector and a moment latter Jaesa’s image appeared again. 

The Sith smirked at the Commodore. “See, little Imperial? My power knows no bounds!”

The Commodore studied Jaesa’s image with a thoughtful look on his face. “Yes,” he said quietly. “Knows no bounds…”

Aliani decided that it was time for her to creep away from the door, least she be discovered.

~

The man regarded her in silence. Aliani was looking blankly at the wall. When she did not continue he barked, “And?”

Aliani did not bother to look at him. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. “What happened then?”

“Nothing,” Aliani answered hoarsely. “Lord Wrath left the medical ward the next day. He boarded the mercenaries’ ship together with the Commodore, they stayed on board for half an hour. Then the mercenaries left. We returned to Dromund Kaas and The _Dominance_ was decommissioned for three months. Commodore Quinn was promoted to Admiral, after they found Admiral Skimor dead, I was promoted to Captain. Since the Admiral did not die, I presume the Sith Jaesa did.”

“What information did Quinn give your ship’s doctor?” the man asked, letting go of Aliani’s face.

Her head lolled to the side. “He has a bunch of certificates in medical discipline. Apparently he’s a certified surgeon.”

“So he is the Lord Wrath’s personal medic?”

Aliani shrugged weakly.

A silence stretched in the bare room, eventually the man mused aloud, “The family can be manipulated against him.”

Aliani tried to choke back a sob. “I found out what happened to his family a year later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I making things clearer or even more obscure? I wonder….
> 
> Drop a comment to tell me what you think :)


	6. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Uruni.
> 
> The events described in this chapter take place in the year 3624 BBY.

Admiral Quinn’s promotion had led to a reassignment to the Harrower-class dreadnought, _The Vanquisher_ , and Aliani had followed him. A year into the reassignment, they were still trying to bring order to the operations that were previously run by Admiral Skimor. Aliani was starting to appreciate Admiral Quinn’s intense dislike of the man – the handling of the ship was a mess, the operations management was horrendous and most of the Empire’s successes were largely due to the previously Commodore Quinn’s direct insubordination.

Despite the intense work schedule and extremely interesting work, Aliani found herself missing her old crew from _The Dominance_. As a result she had been thrilled when the Admiral had granted her leave for the Life Day celebrations. In fact, Admiral Quinn had glared at the calendar and then awarded the whole crew extended leave for the holiday.

Aliani had smiled to herself. The Admiral put a big front, but he cared about his crew and besides (this was Aliani’s biggest guess) he had a family of his own to think about.

The Imperial Navy always threw a huge ball to celebrate the occasion and show off the Imperial might. Aliani had never gone, first because she was too low rank to be invited and later because she was always away on missions. This was proving to be a prime opportunity to attend.

She had prepared for a whole day. Making sure her dress uniform gleamed, her hair was arranged just so, her make-up fashionably up to date but also flattering.

The ball was being held in the Navy headquarters’ most spacious hall and it was decorated in elaborate patterns of Imperial black and red. There were different platforms arranged in the room to mark specific areas for drink or for dance, but it still managed to keep the openness and opulence of a grand hall.

Aliani had quickly spotted some of her old friends from _The Dominance_ around a table in one of the sitting areas and made her way to them. 

The group was alight with conversation when Aliani join them. She was greeted warmly and soon absorbed into their discussion. They were going over the latest gossip. Aliani prodded Comlik and asked what the news was.

He leaned to her and said conspiratorially, “Old Quinny showed up some time ago with a woman!”

Aliani raised one eyebrow, “His wife?”

The Lieutenant nodded. “The Admiral is introducing her as his ‘second-wife’.”

This made Aliani sit up straight. “Second?!”

Comlink misunderstood her surprise, “Yeah, no one knew he had a ‘first-wife’ either…”

Aliani whipped her head around the room quickly, trying to spot the Admiral and this new wife. Comlink leaned over and pointed to a different area where the higher officers were seated. Aliani couldn’t make out the Admiral, so she stood and walked towards the other platform.

Once she neared the tables, it was easier to spot Admiral Quinn with his tall posture and immaculate, silvering hair. Standing beside him was a woman that looked at least half of the Admiral’s age. This woman had straight red hair and light-brown skin. She wore a dark red dress according to Kaas City’s latest trends with a plunging neck-line.

Aliani suddenly felt sick. She was about to turn and flee back to her table when the Admiral noticed her and gently guided his companion towards her.

“Good evening, Captain,” Admiral Quinn greeted her. “Dearest, this is my head of office, Captain Risver.” The last part was addressed to the woman. “Captain, this is my wife, Seri.”

“Sir, ma’am,” Aliani bowed as was required in such occasions.

The Admiral’s new wife turned her eyes to Aliani as if in an after-thought and Aliani was shocked by the coldness in her yellow-fiery gaze. The woman looked her over then turned back to her husband without as much as a nod. “I’ll be right back, darling.”

“Of course,” Admiral Quinn answered and kissed her lightly on the cheek, but Aliani noticed his eyes remained cold and detached the whole time, completely different to how he had looked at Madam Quinn.

Aliani and the Admiral stood in silence as Seri’s figure blended with the crowd. Then Aliani turned to her commanding officer.

“Sir, I know this is out of line – but what happened?” she almost pleaded.

Admiral Quinn regarded her for a moment then sighed. “My first wife is dead,” he said at last.

Aliani’s hand flew to her mouth. “And your children?” she whispered.

The look in the Admiral’s eyes was pained. “Her children as well.”

~

“I fled the ball,” Aliani said in a far-off voice. “I couldn’t look at the Admiral anymore. He was not the man I had thought he was. How could he let that happen to his own children?!” her voice cracked, but she continued. “I spent the night composing resignation letters. In the morning I posted it and received confirmation the very next day. I never saw the Admiral or his bloody new wife again.”

The man regarded her in silence.

“I told you all I know, please let me go.”

The man nodded. He picked up a tool from the desk beside him, took two strides towards her and slit her throat. Aliani’s eyes bulged momentarily, but as the blood flow increased her head lolled and she was gone.

The man returned to the desk and started whipping the tool with a cloth set aside for this task. 

After a few minutes of silent work, a shadow detached itself from one of the walls and stepped toward the man. “What do you think?” the shadow asked.

“Not my job to think,” the man answered without looking up from his work. “Need to verify the tale, that’s all.”

The shadow said nothing. It turned and left the small room by a door, unseen unless one knew where to look. Outside the small dark room there was a well-lit corridor. In the new lighting the shadow turned out to be a fully-armored man, in white and gold. Half of his face was covered by a metal mask.

The man walked purposefully down the corridor until he reached a specific door through which he entered. 

This new room was full of monitoring equipment, consuls and people. It had the air of quiet purposefulness. The man walked up to one of the officers working in front of a console. 

The officer stood up immediately at the other man’s approach and bowed. Like the rest of the men in the room he wore uniform in deep, unmarked black.

“Well?” the man in white demanded.

“Sir! The files on Admiral Quinn are all highly secured. It is next to impossible to extract direct data,” the man started.

The masked man balled his hands into fists and loomed over the officer.

“But once the prisoner started giving auxiliary information,” the latter continued hurriedly. “We managed to collaborate most of what she said. There were some discrepancies, but they can be attributed to the prisoner lying to protect her former boss.”

“What kind of discrepancies?” the man in white hissed.

“For example,” the officer turned back to his console and scrolled through his itinerary. “Admiral Quinn had a son with his first wife, not daughters, sir.”

“Is the son alive?” the Sith asked.

“No, your highness. According to Imperial records he died in 25 ATC, that’s six years ago. And so did the first wife,” the officer answered.

“What is the name of the first wife?”

The officer looked back through his notes. “Lorell Quinn, neé Permell, your highness.”

“And the second?”

The officer was ready for this question. “Eshosria Quinn, neé Loumer.”

The Prince nodded. “Continue your search. I will inform the Emperor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 0 ATC is 3653 BBY, just so you know
> 
> Review & tell me what you think :)


	7. Bonus - D5-Mantis, The Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Uruni.
> 
> The events described in this chapter take place in the year 3625 BBY.

The crew of _The Freedom_ was gathered around the holo-terminal. The terminal itself was turned off, but it was the largest space on the ship that could fit all six of them, and they were expecting further company.

Skadge was leaning against a railing, cleaning under his fingernails with a vibroknife. Blizz and Mako were huddled in a corner discussing some gadget they found during their last job. Gault was leaning against the doorframe to the helm watching Torian as he in turn watched Kad’la who was fiddling with the holo-terminal. It was a useless endeavor as they had disconnected it from the main power source before gathering. 

It was obvious to all of the crew that their boss was nervous. It was also understandable, after all it was not every day their ship was summoned on board an Imperial destroyer, the captain disappeared for two days, only to return without comment and finally be ordered to wait for some official to come and speak to the crew. The only question was, why did Kad’la answer the summon in the first place?

At long last they heard the air-lock door open and foot-steps enter the ship. Kad’la immediately straitened and ran a hand over her lekku. The crew all looked up towards the stairs to the platform.

What greeted them was so unexpected, they all sprang to their feet. 

A Sith, wearing a cape and a solid mask came up the stairs. He had a sash of red across his chest, twin lightsabers hung from his hips. Following the Sith there was a high ranking Imperial officer. He was of middle age, with greying hair. His sharp blue eyes moved in a calculated manner from one crew member to the next. 

The crew of _The Freedom_ was all on high alert, the only one calm was Kad’la who had been the most nervous before. She spread her hands and said, “Welcome, Oh Sithiest of Sith lords, to my humble ship.”

The Sith leaned casually against the railing near the stairs, and huffed. “It better be humble, after you crushed the one I gave you.” His voice was mechanical and indistinguishable through the mask.

Kad’la shook her head. “I told you it was an accident. Besides, those other ships had no business being in my way.”

“If I recall correctly,” the Imperial officer said dryly. He was standing at parade-rest beside the Sith, but he tilted his head when he looked at Kad’la. “Those ‘other ships’, as you put it, were parked in their hangar.” 

Kad’la crossed her arms and pouted. “You’re _supposed_ to say you’re happy I’m alive.”

The Sith threw back his head and laughed.

The crew watched in amazement at the exchange. Kad’la spoke with the Sith and Imperial as if she had known them for years.

“Enough of this,” the Sith said finally. “We have business to discuss.”

“Righty-o,” Kad’la uncrossed her arms and leaned against the terminal. “What’s going on?”

The Sith turned to the Imperial. “Can the crew be trusted?”

The Imperial pulled out his data-pad and entered some information quickly. “The aliens are wanted for several crimes across most of the galaxy; the human is associated with the Mandalorians and the cyborg has Imperial Intelligence implants. I would say – no, they cannot.”

“Hey!” Gault, somewhat offended. The rest of the crew grumbled under their breath with Skadge fingering his knife somewhat pointedly.

“Quiet, guys,” Kad’la hushed them. “Gault you are by no means trustworthy, and I mean that in the best way possible.” She turned to the Imperial. “Gault handles our money, Blizz makes sure this ship stays intact, Mako is a genius slicer and our medic, Torian makes sure I stay alive, and Skadge… well, honestly you can’t trust Skadge. But they’re my team and I vouch for them.”

The Sith regarded Kad’la in silence for a few moments, then nodded. “You did good here, Ali.”

Kad’la beamed. “Thanks!”

Mako frowned in confusion. “Why do they call you ‘Ali’?”

“Oh, right! Um, I changed my name to ‘Kad’la’ before applying for the Great Hunt,” Kad’la looked around sheepishly. “I thought something more Mandalorian would work better.”

Torian puffed a breath. “Always wondered about that. Not a very Twi’lek name ‘Kad’la’.”

“And now you know,” Kad’la’s words were nonchalant, but she avoided looking at Torian and quickly changed the subject. “So, business?”

The Sith nodded slowly. “Jaesa is trying to kill me.”

“What?!” Kad’la’s eyes bulged. “Is she insane?”

“It appears so,” the Imperial nodded. “She is working with Admiral Skimor, who is my superior officer. Evidently, the Admiral staged a fake mission in the Naboo sector so that I would be away and unable to assist our Lord.”

“In the meantime,” the Sith continued. “Jaesa’s apprentice attacked me under the guise of delivering a message. It is fortunate Broonmark was with me, or matters would have been even worse.”

“How is the shaggy rug, anyway?” Kad’la asked.

“Dead,” the Sith answered simply.

“Shit,” Kad’la swore. 

“Do not mourn his passing,” the Sith said calmly. “He died the way he always wanted – fighting and protecting his clan. His death gives honor to his life.”

The Imperial was looking at the Sith with an unreadable expression. Kad’la was rubbing her eyes with her right hand. The crew of _The Freedom_ stayed silent, not knowing how to react to such a statement.

“Oh-Key,” Kad’la said carefully. “Pierce?” she asked tentatively. 

“I spoke with Pierce,” the Imperial answered. “It appears that Jaesa approached him to join her, but he refused.”

“And yet, he did not warn me of her imminent betrayal,” the Sith’s voice was calm, but the anger radiated from his very posture. “I will deal with him once more urgent matters are finished.”

Kad’la shook her head in disbelief. “Any other small details you might want to mention?”

“Jaesa is currently on Dromund Kaas. She is holding Quinn’s daughters hostage,” the Sith said calmly.

Kad’la gripped the holo-terminal tightly in her hand. She looked unstable on her feet. Her eyes moved frantically from the Imperial to the Sith. “And you’re just standing here? How can you be so calm?” she demanded, her voice becoming high with anxiety.

“There is reason to believe that the girls would not be harmed before we reach Kaas City,” the soldier answered. His voice was strong and posture unchanged, but there was something in his eyes which revealed his concern.

Kad’la shook her head. “I don’t get you guys. These are –“

“Enough!” the Sith interrupted her sharply. “The longer we discuss such trivialities the longer we delay in rescuing Quinn’s daughters.”

The Imperial nodded his head in silent assent. 

Kad’la threw her hands out. “Fine. What do you need me for?”

“I require that you dispose of Admiral Skimor, while Quinn and I are _otherwise_ occupied,” the Sith said simply.

“Find and eliminate? Sure, we can do that,” the Twi’lek shrugged.

“Kad’la!” Mako exclaimed in the same time that Gault said, “What’s the pay?”

“Mako – not now,” Kad’la answered immediately. “Gault – shut up.”

“You’re doing Black-List jobs now, right?” the Sith said conversationally. He motioned the Imperial. “Quinn will arrange appropriate compensations to be transferred to your accounts.”

Gault grinned, but Kad’la waived her hands. “That’s really not necessary,” she said.

“Kad’la,” the Sith growled low and the Twi’lek stopped placating. “Quinn will transfer all the relevant information regarding Skimor to your frequency, along with the required payment.” The Sith stood from the railing and prepared to leave.

Kad’la took a step toward the Sith. “Boss! Um… my lord…” She suddenly appeared to be as nervous as she was before the Sith and the Imperial arrived.

The Sith turned to look at her. 

Kad’la tweaked a lekku in her fingers then threw it over her shoulder in a nervous gesture. “Um… I know it’s not the perfect time and all… But, um…”

“Spit it out,” Quinn said levelly, earning a glare from Torian.

“Right!” Kad’la didn’t seem to notice neither Quinn’s tone nor Torian’s glare. “What I want to say is that I’m getting married.” She wrung her hands for a moment. “I would like to ask your permission for Quinn and, um, his wife to attend.” She glanced nervously from the Sith to the Imperial and back. “It would mean a lot,” she said in a small voice.

Quinn looked steadily at the Sith, his face carefully blank. Kad’la was still wringing her hands nervously. Torian, Mako and Gault all looked surprised at the unexpected request.

After a moment which seemed longer than it really was the Sith nodded. “You have my permission. Make the required arrangements with Quinn. But make sure the invitation is addressed to _Admiral_ Quinn,” he finished pointedly.

A huge grin spread across Kad’la’s face. “Right you are, my lordiest of lords.”

The Sith nodded and descended down the stairs. 

The moment he was out of sight, Kad’la threw herself at the Imperial and enveloped him in a giant hug. “I’m so happy!” she exclaimed.

Quinn staggered a little under her onslaught, but he regained his footing and carefully removed the Twi’lek’s arm from around his neck. “I believe it is best you save the hugs for Eshosria,” he said dryly.

“Right!” Kad’la made a show of dusting herself off. “And the timing leaves something to be desired,” she said somewhat sheepishly.

The Imperial nodded. “The usual frequency with the fourth encryption?”

Kad’la nodded. “OK. I’m working on a new one. Might give it a test run, though not before this job’s finished,” she added quickly.

Another nod from the Imperial. “Good luck,” he said, then looked over to Torian. “And congratulations.”

The crew of _The Freedom_ watched the Imperial officer descend the stairs. They remained quiet until they heard the air lock open and close.

Kad’la slid to the floor and leaned against the holo-terminal breathing out in relief. 

Gault was the first one to break the silence. “What the heck was that?”

“Wha?” Kad’la’s eyes returned to focus as she turned to look at Gault. “Oh, right.” She regarded each of her crew for a moment, lingering on Torian, then she shrugged. “There’s a lot in my past I never told you about. Esh, Quinn and Lord Wrath are just one of them.”

Mako’s and Gault’s eyes widened in alarm. Gault was the first one to find his voice. “Did you just say ‘Lord Wrath’?”

Kad’la tilted her head. “Yup. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Mako laughed shakily. “It’s just that I heard he annihilated a whole planet once.”

Kad’la looked at her apologetically. “Yeah… that was kinda my fault…”

Mako blinked several times. “I think you should elaborate,” she said levelly.

Kad’la shrugged, picking at the edge of her armor. “I was separated from my team, then I got lost, then some pirates found me. They said a Sith was looking for a Twi’lek and I was a Twi’lek so they figured they’ll get easy credits.” She looked up at Mako. “They weren’t counting on the Wrath carving a bloody path to where they kept me. Or that upon finding me the Wrath would continue to kill anything in the area, until Quinn arrived and assured, he –“ she coughed, “him that I was alright.”

They all regarded each other in silence until Skadge started to laugh. “Sounds like fun!”

Kad’la picked herself up from the floor. “Yeah, it was,” she said. “Well, not the slaughtering whole planets part,” she added hurriedly after seeing the look on Mako’s face. “But it was good.”

Kad’la looked her companions over then smiled. “But I’m not trading you up for the old days, even for a big bag of credits. C’mon, we have a job to do!”

As the mood lightened, so did the crew started dispersing to their corners of the ship. Torian lingered, as Kad’la made her way to the helm.

She sat in the captain’s chair and started the procedures that would take her and her crew as far away from the Imperial destroyer as possible. Torian leaned against the doorframe and watched her work in silence.

“ _Ni linibar at dinuir gar haat_ ,” Kad’la eventually, her voice quiet.

“ _Elek_ ,” Torian answered. “ _Bal nayc_.”

Kad’la turned in her chair to regard him. “ _Ogir cuyir kebise gar nayc kar'taylir, be ni_.”

“ _Ni kar'taylir meg cuyir jaon'yc_ ,” he answered. 

Silence stretched between them until Torian stepped fully into the room, leaned over and kissed Kad’la on the lips. She smiled when they broke apart and Torian whispered against her lips, “ _Oya, ner kar'taylir darasuum_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a translation: ‘Kad’la’ means ‘sharp’.
> 
> So… Where to next? Do you want to see what happened to Malavai and Eshosria in their mystery year away? Would you like to read more about Malavai’s relationship with his son? Or Should I continue until I reach the wall that is KotFE (I’m not writing actual KotFE until I know what happens in the rest of the expansion!)?
> 
> Drop me a line in the comments to tell me what you think…


End file.
